The Blood Calls
by Hollow Phantom Drewits
Summary: The Paleblood Hunter receives a summons in The Hunter's Dream. The World of Remnant changes forever. Rated M for language gore and darker themes.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing

The PaleBlood Hunter receives a summons in The Hunter's Dream. The World of Remnant changes forever.

Author's Note: Been rewritten need to re-read for the changes. It's basically the same but the details have been tweaked.

The Paleblood Hunter rested in the Hunter's Dream as the Doll tended to his sleeping form. The Hunt was over, Yharnam was purged of life the scant few who were not beasts having run off after The Night of The Hunt. Mergo and The Moon Presence were slain and he was a Great One. A young Great One and nowhere near used to his powers but he was a Great One.

The Hunter's eyes snapped open revealing blood red irises before the slitted pupils went wide looking like a normal human eye before it went wider and the entire eye was consumed in inky blackness before stars burst into existence upon the black expanse making The Hunter's eyes look like the cosmos. His mind was consumed in a vision of a woman in a ruby red cloak kneeling before an altar. The Altar had a blood filled ritual chalice upon it. "Great One of the Hunt, oh great god of the hunt, I call and I beg, come forth and grant me your blessing so that I may end this Hunt." The woman clasped her hands together as if in prayer. Her wrists slitten ritualy bleeding in offering before she rung a summoning bell covered in runes. The runes around her in a ritual circle that was etched deep into the wooden floor then filled with blood glowed an unearthly red.

The Hunter touched her mind. Her hunt was at an end but there was no victory to be had here, none she wanted anyway. Not even the embrace of the dream would aid her in her true desire. The Paleblood Hunter was sympathetic in spirit so he touched her, drew upon her mind to locate the start. The true beginning of her hunt, of her journey. Yes, yes that would do he observed as a thought passed through his mind. The power the ritual had was diverted and a miracle took form.

Ruby Rose woke with a start in her room at her home in Patch. She looked at her clock and calendar, it was three A.M. the day she met Roman and got admitted into Beacon, wait no it wasn't who's Roman and she never got admitted to Beacon, though she'd love to go. Yang's going this year and… She shook her head and snapped out of it last thing she remembered she was... Yeah it was going to bed last night, wait no she was doing a ritual to call upon a god before she… Wait no that isn't right either. Her head hurt. "Must have had some crazy dream" she said to herself before she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

The Paleblood Hunter touched the summoner's world to see her opposition. No, not even memories of the future of the past could help her against her true foes against the true threats. The ritual had more power than she had intended though, a ritual intended to ask blessings and there was enough for a all he had done and more. There was enough for, yes yes that would do for what could possibly stand against a true hunter, a hunter of Yharnam. Another miracle took form. He poured himself into the vessel made of the power called forth by the once future Ruby Rose. As he descended most of his power was cut off as the Great Ones were only truly great within the reaches of the cosmos.

The Paleblood Hunter woke in an alleyway in Vale. The omnipotence of the universe left the vessel mostly leaving the debatably human mind of the Hunter. The Hunter opened his eyes only to see a ripple emanate from his body and travel through a small amount of the air before disappearing. Through the receded cosmos he could feel it ripple throughout the world crating him a history and placing him in the school his summoner was going to, Beacon.

He drew on a small amount of the cosmos to witness the changes. Sanguine Jaeger was his name and he was from the wildlands having no known identity apart from his Beacon application and entrance tests. Sanguine took measure of himself. He was as strong as he was during the Hunt, before he was a Great One. He was wearing the garb typical of the Old Hunters except he had a traditional Hunter's Hat on rather than the Old Hunter's typical wide brimmed cap or top hat.

Sanguine was equipped weapon wise with Rakuyo and the Hunter Pistol. To get at his other weapons he'd have to retreat to the dream, a bad idea to do so now he didn't have an anchor to draw the vessel back if he went to the dream now. He just had to wait for the school year of Beacon to start.

That night he watched as Ruby Rose almost caught Roman Torchwick only for an intervening huntress to throw off Ruby's killshot as the criminal escaped in a bullhead. The Hunter took a swig of a Pungent Blood Cocktail, normally a valuable tool against beasts of the plague but here where the Grimm were the beasts it was next to useless except as a drink.

The Hunter sat on the airship as it made its way to Beacon. He idly listened to the conversations around him as his mind drifted. Behind closed eyelids Sanguine's eyes turned to black expanses filled with stars as he touched the cosmos familiarising himself with the world. All too soon for the resting hunter the airship arrived. As it landed Sanguine sedately got up and walked out.

Sanguine noted his contractor talking to her sister before the sister ran off with friends. He waited for his summoner to explode the white haired girl, Weiss the cosmos whispered in his outer mind. As Ruby slumped down to the ground in defeat Sanguine cut in to raise her spirits. "Hello there, I'm Sanguine" he offered his hand offered to the slumped Ruby. "Ruby" The red and black garbed contractor offered with a smile. They walked off chatting about the small things.

The topic soon came to weapons. "So what do you have for a weapon? I have Crescent Rose here." Ruby said as she unsheathed and transformed her sniper scythe. "Impressive, a gun scythe. I'd imagine its a rifle of some sort?" Sanguine offered back "Good eye yeah its a sniper rifle." Ruby shot back her voice impressed. "I have the Rakuyo and my pistol." the hunter said pulling said weapons from behind his back impossibly. "Rakuyo? Ooh a sabre and a dagger on the end, no mech shift or integrated gun but elegant in its simplicity and that pistol! Ooh it looks like a flintlock but it's actually a breakaway cartridge system that could fire just about anything couldn't it? Not just Dust rounds but even metal rounds!" Ruby enthused. " Indeed. The Rakuyo is just that and I prefer special quicksilver rounds rather than Dust rounds but pretty much if it has a firing charge my pistol can fire it."

"Nice, wait where are we going?" Ruby said confused. "No clue, we're supposed to be going that way" Sanguine offered as he pointed off in another direction. "Ahhh we're gonna miss the ceremony!" Ruby yelled as she dragged Sanguine off in the direction he pointed.

When they arrived at the assembly hall Yang called out to Ruby and with a quick apology to Sanguine Ruby ran off to her sister. The Hunter paid little attention to the speech the headmaster gave he was here for his contractor not to learn how to hunt. He soon walked off to the ballroom with the rest of the students to spend the night there before initiation. Night came and so did sleep, the hunter over in a corner hat covering his eyes as he leaned against a wall.

The morning came and so did initiation. The class stood on the cliff on launching platforms. The headmaster gave a small speech before addressing the Hunter by name. "Mister Jaeger you are the odd student out this year so you shall be paired with the first pair you come across or the first two people you make eye contact with." The Launch pads started launching, the blonde male, Jaune, started talking to the headmaster but before Sanguine could pay more attention his pad launched.

Sanguine was falling in a way that he pretty much never had during the Hunt. He waited until the very last second when with a huge burst of air he let out a Beast Roar having long learned to do it without the beast claw fetish the power was originally evoked by. The sheer force of the roar stopped his momentum feet from the ground. The roar had the unintended side effect of drawing all near Grimm though. As evidenced by the now rustling and growling bushes all around the treeline of the clearing the hunter landed in.

A beowolf was first out of the bushes and into the slaughter. With a running pounce it leaped at Sanguine before a deft slash cut it in half. Black blood sprayed everywhere covering Sanguine in blood. His heart beat in his ears as his ovaloid pupils slimmed until they were but slits in Sanguine's blood colored eyes.

As Sanguine reveled in the fresh blood more beowolves emerged. A slash cut off one beast's arm before the follow up stab with the dagger end of the Rakuyo ventilated the beowolf's brain. As its corpse fell Sanguine beheaded it for good measure. The resulting spray of blood went everywhere, with a bit splattering on the cloth mask covering the lower half of Sanguine's face. A slight tongue peeked out behind the mask to lick the blood. "Disgusting… Yet all the better for it."

In his distraction a beowolf knocked the Rakuyo to his feet. With a thrust the grimm was impaled on the Hunter's arm before with a squelch the arm was ripped out. He knelt to one knee to pick up the Rakuyo but never left his now ready stance. Two beowolves tried their luck next. A slash wounded one before the Hunter span into the second's guard and ripped its throat open with the dagger end of the Rakuyo. The hunter walked away as a parting slash disemboweled the grimm choking on its own blood.

The first of the two was recovered and came back at the Hunter mindlessly. Two simple slashes relieved it of its arms before with a flourish the Hunter was behind the charging beast and the dagger end of Rakuyo severed its spine through the back of the neck with a single stab. It would bleed to death.

The final beowolf almost seemed to consider running before it charged with a roar. The Hunter pulled down his mask before grabbing the beowolf and biting into its neck with his vicious teeth. He drained its blood. A roaring howl of victory erupted from the Hunter as he released the dead beast before he could stop it. A quick look around confirmed no one was near and that all the beowolves were properly mutilated before he left.

Sanguine soon came upon Ruby and Weiss walking through the forest. "Looks like I'm with you two." Sanguine offered "Sanguine! At least I know I have a friend on my team." Ruby said joyously.

A minute later and the three had somehow managed to get onto a nevermore. When questioned on her tactics by Weiss Ruby suggested that they should jump off before she did so herself. Following the relatively reasonable logic Sanguine jumped off too much to the fury of Weiss. Sanguine distantly saw Ruby get hit by Jaune and land in a tree. Seeing no safe landing for himself he focused and let loose another Beast Roar.

"Can we have 2 seconds before something else crazy happens!?" Yang yelled her eyes red and her hair flaring with fire. "How could you leave me?" Weiss said her voice somehow carrying from the nevermore above. "I said jump" Ruby replied "She's gonna fall" Blake deadpanned "She'll be fine" Ruby replied awkwardly "She's falling" Ren deadpanned. Yang sarcastically said "Great the teams all here now, now we can die together" Pyrrha landed in a pile near to Sanguine as this was said.

"Not if I can help it" Ruby said before running off. She was batted away from the deathstalker that had followed Pyrrha "Don't worry totally fine" Ruby called out her panic showing. Her next attack was batted away before she decided to run when above the nevermore cried and shot feathers down upon Ruby. An unlucky feather caught Ruby's cape before the deathstalkers tail descended. An ice shield popped up and Ruby and Weiss had a short heart to heart before they ran off back to the group.

"I'm so happy you're ok" Yang said hugging Ruby. Jaune expressed concern as he asked what the group was going to do next, Ruby confidently responded that they should just grab an artifact and run. "Run and live, I can deal with that plan" Jaune said a bit more confidently. Ruby grabbed the golden Knight and Jaune the golden Rook before Ren said "Time to go" and the group bolted. Yang smiled as Ruby lead the way confidently.

The group ran into more ruins. They ducked behind pillars as the nevermore cut them off in front and the deathstalker closed them in from the back. As they went out of cover the nevermore rained feathers down upon them when Nora at Ren's urging cave them all covering fire with her grenade launcher. The nevermore flew away as the deathstalker closed in almost getting Nora as the others moved to intercept.

They ran until they were driven onto a bridge where the deathstalker could not follow when the nevermore came back. As Jaune and the others fought the deathstalker Ruby, Sanguine, Yang, and Weiss made their way to the roof of a ruined building held above the abyss below on bridges. "Its tougher than it looks" Cried Blake as she landed in formation with Ruby, Sanguine, Yang, and Weiss.

"Then let's hit it with everything we got" Yang replied as the five changed to ranged weapons. A hail of fire erupted from the five enraging the nevermore and making it destroy the building they were on. The five then quickly started dash jumping from rubble piece to rubble piece till they reached a safe place to land. "None of this is working" Weiss complained. Ruby was struck by memories. Noticing her team landing and re-engaging the nevermore she said one thing.

"I have a plan"

Yang and Sanguine stood on a pillar firing rapidly at the nevermore to attract it. When it came by they jumped up and into its mouth. "I Hope You're Hungry!" Yang yelled as she and Sanguine fired round after round down its throat. Looking back they jumped down as the bird went on to hit the cliff face. As it launched from its recovering landing Weiss froze it in place. Ruby landed on Blake's ribbon as it was stretched between Blake and Yang she went back and was caught in one of Weiss's glyphs "Can you make the shot?" "Hmph can I make it" "Can.." "Of course I can" Ruby was launched at the nevermore when she hit the cliff she dragged the nevermore with her as she ran up the cliff with the assistance of Weiss's glyphs and beheaded it.

"Jaune Arc Lie Ren Pyrrha Nikos Nora Valkyrie the four of you obtained the white rook pieces the four of you shall be team JNPR (Juniper) led by Jaune Arc. and finally Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee, and Sanguine Jaeger the five of you got the White Knight pieces making you team RWBYS (Rubies) lead by Ruby Rose" "I'm So proud of you" Yang cried out as she hugged Ruby.

Sanguine awoke from his restful meditation. He could not sleep and dream lest he accidentally suck the vessel he was in into the dream as well. He noted Ruby about to blow her whistle at a waking Weiss. He got out of bed and quickly dressed in the bathroom in his school uniform. The four girls stared at Sangine's face, this was the first time they had seen it. He was reasonably handsome. He smiled, it looked fake. His teeth showed revealing that he had dentistry looking like the unholy love child of a wolf and a vampire.

The girls recoiled in surprise. "Are? Are you a faunus?" Blake asked. With a chuckle Sanguine answered in the negative before stating that he merely had unusual teeth and eyes. With the matter resolved for now Ruby moved forward.

"Good morning team Ruby. Now that we're all awake we need to get onto the first order of the day…" "Decorating" Ruby said and Yang finished "We haven't unpacked yet, we need to do that" Blake's suitcase fell open "And clean" Blake added.

The five quickly got to work, Yang put up a few posters, Ruby put up a curtain then sliced it in half. It was quickly stitched back together while Blake put up a bookcase and filled it with books. Weiss put up some posters and Sanguine put up a Hunter's Dream Lamp and a few incense lanterns. But the beds were all piled in the middle. "This isn't going to work" Weiss said seeing the bed situation. "Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff?" Yang suggested. "Or we could ditch the beds and replace them with bunk beds!" Ruby replied.

With a small disagreement that resolved itself in Ruby's favor they got to work making bunk beds. "Objective complete" Ruby said victoriously looking at the dangerously unstable bunk beds and Sanguine's bed off in the corner. "Second order of business is... Classes. At nine we have…" "What did you say nine its eight fifty five you dunce!" Weiss cried. Jaune and his team ran out shorty after Team RWBYS came running down the hall to class.

"Monsters, Demons, Prowlers of the night, Yes the creatures of grimm have many names but I just call them prey! HAHA" Ruby fell asleep as Professor Port talked "And you shall too upon graduating from this prestigious academy…" Sanguine tuned him out. "The moral of the story is a true huntsman must be honorable dependable strategic well educated and wise wjo among you believe you have those traits?" "I do" Sanguine said coming out of his trance just a second later Weiss said "I do sir!".

"Ok you both shall go You first mister Jaeger, hmm not going to change into your combat outfit or get your weapon? A man after my own heart!" Professor Port then unleashed a boarboartusk from a cage. The beast paused for a moment the ran directly at Sanguine who grabbed it by the tusk and pulled it up. When the beast was lifted off the ground with a squelch he plunged his hand into the boarboartusk's chest before ripping it and the beast's heart out. With a thud the heart fell to the floor.

Sanguine went back up to his seat uncaring that he and his uniform were covered in grimm blood as was the room and the front row of students. Most of whom looked displeased or disgusted at being covered in blood "Very good! A bit messy but very good indeed!" Professor Port said enthused. It was now Weiss's turn to fight a boarboartusk. In Sanguine's eyes she did very well but the unneeded scolding of the contractor did displease him. He followed Ruby and Weiss out of class.

Sanguine came upon Ruby just as Weiss walked away. "You know she's wrong" Sanguine said "You can and will be a great leader you just haven't shown that side of yourself to her." He gave a smile but like most expressions he makes without his mask on it looks wrong. Not the sort of wrong that one notices though, it was the sort of wrong that one day you just see and can't unsee. From behind Ruby Ozpin speaks up and confirms Sanguine's assurances of Ozpin not making a mistake like Weiss had said.

During the exchange between Ruby and Ozpin Sanguine let his mind wander. He distantly wants blood and wonders what Ruby's blood tastes like. He must have a taste at some point. Sanguine starts salivating as he mentally debates blood and its flavors. How he yearned for this hunt to begin in earnest but before that he must play house with his contractor and team.

Oh the contractor he wanted her not physically not sexually but he wanted her. He wondered idly do all Great Ones desire their summoners so, or is it the blood and aura making the vessel that drew him so to the source of the materials that made it. Either way being near her did benefit him the energy she naturally exudes flows into the vessel reinforcing it in a way his own aura could not.

His own aura he thought now on a tangent it was frustrating. He had this new energy this new addition to his hunt that he could not use because the vessel he was in could not contain him properly. Thus most of his aura was occupied in reinforcing his vessel. Yet aura itself was a fascinating subject the mere fact that by the rules of this mortal plane each soul has a natural force it can exude, just utterly fascinating.

Ozpin walked away startling Sanguine out of his thoughts. "Why don't we head back to our room" Sanguine said "We can get started on our studies" "Err yeah let's do that" Ruby said "So why weren't you talking with me and the headmaster?" she questioned. "It wasn't my conversation to intrude in" Sanguine lied smoothly, he could care less about schoolyard politics he wanted to hunt and for the memories he had sent back to awaken and reveal his summoner in her full glory. A glory worthy of being owned by the god of the hunt.

Later on Weiss woke Ruby. "How do you take your coffee?" Weiss asked "Cream and five sugars" Ruby responded somehow not caught as off guard as she thought she would be. Not knowing why a nostalgic smile appeared on Ruby's face. "Here" "Thanks Weiss" "Ruby I think you have what it takes to be a good leader just know that I am going to be the best teammate you ever have" With that flashes of memory came to Ruby's mind flashes of fighting alongside Weiss, of talking and laughing, of life. So caught was Ruby in these flashes of memory she barely heard Weiss wish her luck studying and confess that she wanted bunk beds as a kid.

That night Ruby slept uneasy, and Sanguine did not sleep at all instead he was caught in thoughts of his ascension to a Great One In his mind he relieved that final confrontation well confrontations. His defiance of Gehrman due to his desire to stay in the dream and hunt unendingly, his defeat of Gehrman and his taking of the Burial Blade and the Old Hunter Badge. He wore that badge even now, was it in respect to a mentor or merely the mark of his mastery over the dream he couldn't decide.

After Gehrman came it The Moon Presence, he didn't know what caused it to attack him perhaps because he had gone too far during the hunt in his search for knowledge and strength or perhaps it liked Gehrman. Either way he killed it only for the rush of blood and power to turn him into a Great One. It's funny he thought all those men of the church tried and failed to become Great Ones but one hunter acting in greed for the dream and the hunt unending became a god by accident.

Sanguine idly fiddled with the Old Hunter Badge as he recalled Gehrman's lessons on hunting. Places to attack, how to harvest blood for blood-vials, how to make and treat quicksilver bullets, and to scavenge anything that had use for the hunt. He felt something click deep within himself, more accurately within his aura, he had no clue what it meant but it meant something.

Time moved on and before he knew it the team had impressed him. They would be good hunters if trained in the true way of the hunt, Yharnam's way of the hunt, not the way of the hunt that this world seem to train its hunters for. He always knew his contractor could be a hunter of worth but the other 3 had surprised him, he'd have to see if they could be made true hunters. It was with that that he started his campaign to make the four girls Yharnam class hunters.

They took well to his small lessons. A bit of weapon advice here or there, a bit of tactics, an odd lesson here or there on random things. They were indeed worthy of being hunters. Sanguine's eyes went black before stars burst into existence on the black expanse and the connection was made if not realised by the girls. His eyes faded back to red, thankfully it was night at the time so no one noticed his eyes change.

With a sigh he let himself dream. Waking in his chair in the Hunter's Dream he felt more than saw the changes made by him being it's master rather than Gehrman and The Moon Presence. The main change was his chair where once there was a statue of a woman in the workshop there was a chair. Several smaller changes had been made but they weren't important. He got up and walked out the front door passing the headstones that once linked to locations in Yharnam he got to where he first woke up in The Dream and the headstone that now sat there, Gehrman's headstone. "Good Hunter what troubles you?" The Doll had come to greet him.

"Hello Doll, what makes you believe I am troubled?" The Hunter asked. "You have come to Gehrman's headstone, you only do so when you are thinking on things." The Doll replied. "I have found hunters four of them" "Then the Hunt shall begin again Good Hunter" "Yes this time with me as the First Hunter" "It is taking Gehrman's title that troubles you so" "Yes, can I be the same guide to these hunters that Gehrman was to me?" "Only you know Good Hunter and only you can decide." "Thank you Doll, you may go." The Doll walked off but the Hunter remained for a moment before walking away from the grave with a small smile beneath his mask and an amused huff.

Such human concerns he had after only a small time in the waking world. How could he be anything but the best, he was the pinnacle of hunters the best in Yharnam let along here in some world with no real concept of The Hunt. Walking his way back up to the workshop he whistled a tune that he had heard in a small music box given to him by a young girl. With a small smile he sat down in his chair and woke up.

Sanguine woke and the bells on top of the Hunter's Dream Lamp rung lightly. "Ahh! God! It rung! Why did it ring?" Yang said startled from where she and the other three girls were watching the Lamp. "That thing is creepy Sang. Why'd you put it in our room?" She further questioned seeing Sanguine awake.

The Hunter's Dream Lamp over next to Sanguine's desk somehow looked sad. "Ohh Yang... You hurt its feelings it's sad now" Ruby cried dismayed "What feelings it's a lamp and I don't see why we've been staring at it for the past couple of minutes" Weiss said. "Because it's there, I mean it used to be there but now it's THERE" Yang cried out "What?" Weiss said indignantly "Yang means that it's been there but none of us have really noticed it but today it's just there and we notice it, like it's kind of prominent." Blake said coming to Yang's rescue.

Sanguine chuckled lightly "It's a marker for a safe location from my home. They're meant to mark locations where hunters can rest and resupply, I figured our room is where we rest and resupply so it needed a lamp." "That's kinda cool actually, but why is it a marker of safety?" Yang asked "Because the lamps when lit generally also burn an incense that repels beasts both Grimm and animal." Sanguine replied.

"What that's amazing! Do you have some with you? Do you know what we could do with such things?!" Weiss cried out "No I'm afraid I don't" Sanguine lied. He had some, of course he did all hunters carried some. It was a necessity for creating a safe place to catch your breath during The Hunt.

The beast repelling incense was a Yharnam production it was a happy accident that the incense worked to repel Grimm as well as the beasts of the Old Blood. He could get more in The Hunter's Dream from the Bath Messengers but that would require the last vestiges of a being's blood and life or as the Doll called them Blood Echoes and it would require an explanation as to where he got it. Special incense that repels beasts supposedly produced in the wildlands that's gonna require bullshit on a large scale, something he didn't particularly want to do, or not getting more until the girls knew about The Dream.

The girls would eventually know about The Dream especially since he linked them to it last night. Now he just had to wait and eventually they would stumble in and he could drop the charade of being a skilled student rather than a seasoned hunter around them. He hated the charade, secrets must be kept yes but it's tiring to deceive others. Why if his summoner didn't intrigue him so he would have been gone off to the threat he was summoned for long ago.

Time passed that morning and soon came combat class. "Next up is Russel Thrush and Sanguine Jaeger" called out. The two boys got up in the arena. Russel drew his daggers with a huff and went into a ready stance. Impossibly Saguine drew the Rakuyo from within his Old Hunter's coat to mutters from the class.

With a blast from a whistle the fight was on. Sanguine scored the first hit dashing forward with a diagonal slash from right to left catching Russel in the chest. Russel barely deflected the follow up hit that saw the dagger on the bottom of the blade soaring towards his face. A few more traded hits and Sanguine jumped backwards and with a snap transformed the Trick Weapon.

The dagger on the bottom of the Rakuyo's blade snapped off and rested in Sanguine's left hand. With a new ready position Sanguine displayed his weapon's sabre and dagger dual wield. With a roar Russel charged in only for Sanguine to jump and with a spinning slice deflect Russel's oncoming attack and catch him across the face with the dagger. Russel staggered back only to be hit by the slash at the end of the jumping spin. He was knocked backwards and slid along the floor. The arena deactivated Russel having lost consciousness and thus lost the match. Russel was carried off while Sanguine went back to his team.

"Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester are next to fight." called out. The fight was short and ended with Jaune losing due to aura loss. " Mr. Arc it's been weeks now, please try to refer to your scroll during combat. Gauging your aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack or when it's time to try a more defensive strategy." chided

"Jaune are you ok?" "Huh?" "It's just that you seem a little… not ok" "Guys Im fine seriously" Pyrrha Jaune and Ruby conversed. Sanguine tuned them out preferring to look at Team CRDL harassing a rabbit faunus. Sanguine didn't really care that she was being harassed preferring instead to wonder why the rabbit faunus was playing the victim when from the smell of her blood she could wipe the floor with the whole of Team CRDL.

The conversation the other were having soon ended and they went to Doctor Oobleck's class. The class went by quickly, the small dispute between Jaune, Pyrrha, and Cardin passed and the class ended. In the week after Jaune became scarce around his friends and Sanguine. Only for Ruby to catch up to Jaune on the night before a field trip and give him a pep-talk which mostly consisted of the word nope.

As the week passed the girls of RWBYS started appearing in The Dream it was only pure luck that they hadn't run into each other while dreaming. Soon yes soon they would come together and he could drop this ridiculous facade and train his four new hunters in earnest. But they had to discover the reality of The Dream first. Only then would their minds open to Insight so they could operate in The Dream.

It was the day of the field trip to Forever Fall and they split into groups. RWBYS and JNPR minus Jaune weren't too far from one another when all of CRDL besides Cardin ran through screaming about an Ursa. Ruby quickly took charge and sent Blake and Yang to get as she, Weiss and Pyrrha went off to go help Jaune, leaving Sanguine to watch over the sap they collected with Ren and Nora.

The trip after that was uneventful and they soon returned to the school. That night a discussion happened in Team RWBYS's room. "Ya know it's odd I keep having this dream of this graveyard with a little building on a hill." Yang said "That sounds familiar." Weiss said "Yeah I told you guys about a similar dream I had the other day." Ruby revealed. "That's odd you're both having similar dreams and now that I think about it I've had a similar dream." Blake mused. With a chuckle Sanguine said "I have dreams like that all the time maybe tonight we'll meet in the dream together." They soon went to sleep with a smile Sanguine felt them appear in The Hunter's Dream one by one until he too with a closing of his eyes entered The Dream.

"Hey Ruby! Wake up!" "Wha? Yang! Wait this is that graveyard dream, but why are you here?" "Why am I here? Why are you in my dream?" "This isn't your dream I'm the one dreaming" Yang had found Ruby laying in the field of flowers below the great tree. "Both of you stop arguing" "And while you're at it figure out why we're in a dream together" Weiss and Blake had arrived.

"Well let's look around, this is where I've woken up before it's just this field with flowers and all these graves" Yang said. The four girls walked up from the field into the main area of The Dream. "Ooh what are these flowers they look like white sunflowers but they face towards the moon" Weiss said as they came across a group of Lumenflowers growing behind Gehrman's headstone. "Hey there are two headstones here in front of these flowers. Gehrman First Hunter of The Workshop and Lady Maria of The Astral Clocktower. Wow these two must be important." Yang said as she inspected Gehrman and Maria's headstones.

"Well there's the building I told you guys about and… Hey the doors are open, they were closed before!" Yang said and the girls immediately made a beeline for the open doors of the workshop. They came to a stop upon seeing what or rather who was inside.

"Welcome to The Hunter's Dream"

Author's Note: Yeah I rewrote it, I was happy with it when I first wrote each chapter, but as I started on chapter 4 I reread everything and it was just going way too fast. I was putting way too much effort into getting chapters out fast that I forgot to quality check. I'm picky about the stories I read and even pickier about the ones I write. Chapter 4 now Chapter 2 is coming soon as in I'll prolly have it done today and posted tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 (originally chapter 4)

Reread Chapter 1 for changes from 1-28-18 rewrite: aka 6k word chapter 1

"What! Sanguine? Your here too? You look older. And what did you say?" Ruby cried out. "I said welcome to The Hunter's Dream" Sanguine replied "The Hunter's Dream?" Blade questioned. "Yes The Hunter's Dream, a workshop, a paradise, and a memorial for those hunters who hunt beneath the aegis of the god of the hunt." Sanguine clarified "But we don't worship a hunting god?" Ruby replied "And you don't need to, though Im sure the god wouldn't mind if you did. You were admitted to The Hunter's Dream because I as the First Hunter of The Dream thought you all had potential to be Hunters of The Dream rather than mere Huntresses." Sanguine explained

"Mere Huntresses?! Why-" "Weiss not now, What do you mean First Hunter of The Dream, I thought you were a student like the rest of us?" Weiss started and Blake interrupted. "Nay I was sent in younger form to Beacon to find a person of interest, namely Ruby. Yet the rest of you impressed me so I made my decision and connected you all to The Dream." Sanguine explained "Wait Ruby why's she a person of interest?" Yang cut in

"Time is fluid here in the dream and in a future now void Ruby did a very interesting thing and caught the attention of the god of the hunt. As a reward the god sent her memories back in time to her as she is now and-" "Wait! That's why I've been having all these strange memories and instincts and-" "Yes it is, and as I was saying as the second part of her reward I was sent to recruit her to The Dream and insure that her wish from the future comes true."

"Her wish?" Weiss asked "As far I am aware, the future was rather bleak and Ruby wanted nothing more than to come back to the day it all started and try it all again." Sanguine revealed. "What do you mean as far as you're aware weren't you in the future?" Blake questioned "No I wasn't before all of this I have been in The Dream resting for… how long now… Oh I'd say about three hundred of your years." "Three… Three hundred… Three Hundred YEARS!" Weiss erupted in shock, Blake had her eyes wide open at the revelation while Yang and Ruby seemed to be wondering what it's like to live that long.

"How did you survive? What was it like? Wha-" "Calm yourself" Weiss started only for Sanguine to cut her off. "The Dream provides extended longevity, a longevity that grows to near infinite if one resides in The Dream physically and mentally" "How can you be in a dream physically?" Blake asked

"The Lamps provide access to The Hunter's Dream for the physical body, but one connected to The Dream can reach The Dream mentally merely by sleeping." Sanguine revealed. "Now let me introduce you to my compatriot the custodian of The Dream you will see a lot of her as we work together in The Dream" "Now wait who said we wanted to be Hunters of The Dream" Weiss objected "Why wouldn't you, a secure place to rest, resupply, and train, extended longevity, and a few other benefits." Sanguine riposted

The girls seeing his point put away their concerns for now as they walked back out of the workshop not having really entered. "So where is this custodian? We didn't see anyone" Yang asked "She is very good at being unnoticed not to mention she doesn't generally greet hunters until they've met with the First Hunter of The Dream." "What is the First Hunter of The Dream?" Blake asked "It's a title as you probably guessed it refers to the mentor and eldest of The Hunters of The Dream" "You're that old?" Ruby asked shocked "I'll let you know a secret Gehrman the man whose headstone you saw was the first hunter ever or as he's known The First Hunter of The Workshop, I was his apprentice." "Wow" Ruby enthused "Where is Gehrman now? Oh wait sorry" Blake said "Yes Gehrman is dead, he grew old outliving every one of his apprentices except me before he ceded the title of First Hunter to me and died." They walked up to the Hunter's Nightmare Tombstone where The Doll was kneeling before it. She stood and turned to the five.

"Good Hunter you have returned, and you have brought your four new apprentices with you. How nice." "Hey nice to meet you I'm Yang!" Yang said extending her hand. The Doll coked her head before she shook Yang's hand. "Good Grip you've go- Oh sorry I didn't know you had prosthesis." Yang said before backing off "Prosthesis?" The Doll cocked her head "No I am a doll made to love and care for humans." "Eh yeah that's a bit creepy." Yang ventured. The Doll cocked her head again "Don't worry despite your opinion I will still care for you." "Not what I meant" Yang said sounding a bit ill.

"Do you have a name miss Doll?" Ruby asked The Doll cocked her head in confusion "What need have I for a name? I am a doll made to care for this dream and its inhabitants." "Oh" Ruby deflated. "You don't need to tread lightly around The Doll she doesn't realise the concept of being offended." Sanguine offered "I'm not going to treat her like she's not a person" Ruby said indignantly "That's your choice she will care for you either way. Oh yes and if you're ever injured and you come to The Dream see her. The Doll has the wonderful ability to heal and restore one's body." Sanguine said appeasing Ruby.

They talked for a while more, Sanguine explaining the bath messengers and how they would give you items in exchange for the last essences of slain beings that their souls would collect now that they were Hunters of The Dream. Such things could also enhance their bodies had they been Hunters of The Old Blood but Sanguine would not give out such boons before they proved themselves as Hunters of The Dream. The time came to leave and just as he was contemplating how to broach the subject Yang asked "So how do we get out of here I mean this is nice but we need to wake up right?" "Indeed that's how" "How what?" "How you leave" "Yeah how?" "You wake up" and with that the dream went white and the five woke up.

The girls seemed out of it in the wake of the dream they shared. They didn't talk much about it as is the case for those who haven't much Insight. To those with little Insight the eldritch was an abstract concept unless directly confronting it. Until the girls learned more he wouldn't expect more questions outside The Dream.

The Girls were walking along a street in Vale and saw a sign saying Welcome to Vale being raised. "Weiss with an uncharacteristic smile said "The Vytal Festival! Oh this is absolutely wonderful!" "I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much Weiss" Memories flashed through Ruby's mind too fast to process but they were all of a smiling Weiss "Well in this life anyway" Ruby added. Weiss seeming to ignore the last part of Ruby's statement questioned "How could you not smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dances, parades, a tournament! Oh the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking." They walked through a plaza and onto another street as they were talking.

Yang sighed and stated "You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring." "Quiet you" Weiss scolded. "Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?" Yang asked as they walked out to the docks. "Ugh, they smell like fish" Ruby complained "I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And as a representative of Beacon I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom." " Blake with a deadpan said "She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." "You can't prove that" Weiss spluttered indignantly as she came to a halt and crossed her arms.

Seeing a crime scene Ruby and the team walked up to it and asked what happened. The cop replied that it was a robbery and more specifically the second shop to be hit this week. "That's terrible" Yang sighed. Ruby let out a huh as the cops discussed the fact that the robbers had left the money and only stolen the Dust.

The concept of the White Fang taking the Dust came up and Weiss capitalised on it calling the Fang degenerates. Blake asked "What's your problem?" "My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane." "The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided faunus." "Misguided! They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!" "So then they're very misguided. Either way it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale." "Blake's got a point" Ruby cut in "Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago. Maybe it was him" "That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal." Weiss argued "That's not necessarily true" Yang said with a disapproving look.

Sanguine smiled the girls were getting on fine now if they could argue. He distantly wished they wouldn't but he wouldn't push the issue. A commotion rang out behind the group. A few sailors were trying to stop a monkey faunus male from leaving the ship he had stowed away on. The cops from earlier went up to the boy who was now hanging from his tail on a lamppost. A cop told him to get down only to be met with a banana peel to the face.

The boy ran and the cops chased. The blonde faunus ran past Blake and winked at her as he passed. Only for Yang to say "Well Weiss you wanted to see the competition and there it goes." "Quick! We have to observe him!" Weiss cried as she lead the group in sprinting after the faunus. The Group ran down a street and turned a corner when suddenly with an oof Weiss knocked into an orange haired girl and knocked her to the ground. Not noticing Weiss cried "No he got away" as the monkey faunus jumped up to a roof.

"Uhh Weiss" Yang said pointing out that she had knocked someone over. With a noise of surprise Weiss jumped off the orange haired girl. "Salutations!" The girl greeted not moving from the ground "Um hello" Ruby greeted "Are you okay?" Yang asked with an odd look "I'm wonderful. Thank you for asking." The girl said still not moving from the ground. The girls looked at each other "Do you… Wanna get up?" Yang questioned. "Yes, My name is Penny It's a pleasure to meet you" The girl said flipping into a standing position. "Hi Penny I'm Ruby" " I'm Weiss" "Sanguine, A pleasure" "Blake" "Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang got an elbow to the stomach "Oh I'm Yang" "It's a pleasure to meet you" Penny replied. "You already said that" Weiss stated "So I did" "Well, sorry for running into you" Weiss apologised. "Take care friend" Ruby said as they walked away.

They walked a distance before Yang commented that Penny was weird before Weiss asked herself more than anyone where the faunus ran off to. Suddenly penny was in front of them "What did you call me?" she asked with wonder "Oh I'm really sorry, I definitely didn't think you heard me" "No not you, you." "Me" Ruby squeaked "I don't know I what I um " "You called me friend. Am I really your friend?" Penny asked "Umm" Behind Penny all the girls were signing no at Ruby. Sanguine merely smiled, his teeth were horrifying. "Ya sure! Why not?" Ruby decided after a moment. "Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" "I don't think that will work with Sanguine around" Ruby said awkwardly "Oh don't worry while I'm attracted to females I can appreciate a good looking male" Sanguine said deliberately making it awkward.

"So, what are you doing in Vale?" Yang asked "I'm here to fight in the tournament" Penny answered "Wait your fighting in the tournament?" Weiss asked "I'm combat ready" Penny said with a salute. "Forgive me, but you hardly look the part." Weiss said "Said the girl wearing a dress." Blake snarked "It's a combat skirt" Weiss defended before Ruby high fived her with a yeah of agreement. "Wait a minute, If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey tailed rapscallion?" Weiss asked grabbing Penny "The who?" Penny asked "The filthy faunus from the boat" Weiss clarified while holding up a poor caricature of him.

"Why do you keep saying that" Blake asked sounding mad "Huh?" Weiss said confused "Stop calling him a calling him a degenerate. He's a person!" Blake clarified still sounding angry "Oh I'm sorry. Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can, or the lamppost as a lamppost?" "Stop it!" "Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time, he'll probably join up with those other faunus in the White Fang." "You ignorant little brat!" Blake said now truly mad before she stormed off. "How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate." "You are a judgemental little girl" "I think we should probably go" Yang voiced as the black and white duo argued. "Where are we going" Penny asked oblivious.

The argument continued into the night and Sanguine was just about to end it when "Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake looked horrified before she tried to run when with a thud all the girls fell Sanguine having pushed their minds into The Dream. The girls were gathered around holding their heads, being forced into The Dream was not a gentle thing. "This argument has gone far enough" Sanguine said materialising between the four. "But she/But I" Weiss and Blake tried to argue "Enough" Sanguine said before he laid a hand on both Blake and Weiss's heads and his eyes went black with stars. It was an instant between the two there was no Blake and no Weiss there was but one that was in flux battling itself before it saw itself and understood both sides, and then it ended and Blake and Weiss came back to themselves.

"That was… yeah" Both girls said simultaneously then again they said I'm sorry to each other in unison. "Now Blake the point of the matter is?" Sanguine questioned "I want to prove the White Fang aren't behind the Dust robberies." she answered "If I remember the look I got at Ruby's memories something is coming up that could help. Ruby?" "Um I don't I don't have all my memories back from the future and I can't control when I…" Flashes of memory came to her "Oh! the docks? A battle… um I can't remember who… but the docks in a couple of days." "Matter closed. We'll go to the docks and see if the White Fang are there in a few days."

Ruby spent the weekend with the team mostly in Vale. Sanguine had said the matter was closed but the girls wanted to scope out the docks and keep an eye out for trouble anyway. Ruby and Penny spent some time together, talking and other things. To Ruby's mortification the topic of boys did come up while she had Sanguine with her. She swore Sanguine took an almost perverse delight in discussing cute boys with Penny and mortifying Ruby.

The day of the docks came and Penny came too. A bullhead pulled up and swept the docks with searchlights before White Fang members jumped out, much to Blake's horror. Soon Roman Torchwick came out and called them all animals while scolding them for taking their time with the robbery. "Oh no, I didn't want to believe it. But I guess it's true. But the White Fang would never work with a human let alone one like him!" Blake started off sad before she sounded defiant and jumped off the vantage point the team was at before charging and taking Roman hostage.

"Nobody move" Blake called "Woah take it easy there little lady" Blake removed her ribbon revealing her faunus ears before calling out "Brothers of the White Fang. Why are you aiding this scum?" The White Fang members almost seemed to consider her words before Roman chuckled "Oh kid didn't you get the memo?" "What are you talking about?" "The White Fang and I are going in on a join business venture together." "Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your little operation" Blake threatened. "I wouldn't exactly call it a little operation" Roman replied as two more bullheads pulled up. In Blake's shock Roman was able to get one up on her and fire a round knocking Blake away from him.

Ruby cried out "Blake" as the team mobilized. Roman fired round after round at Blake before Sanguine charged in and with a slash knocked Roman back. White Fang members jumped from the bullheads. Yang and Weiss engaged while with a shout of "He's mine" Blake engaged Roman again. Ruby was in a sniper's position on a building firing rounds at the Fang members when Roman spotted her and fired off a round which knocked Ruby back. Penny who was guarding Ruby scowled and entered the fray.

With spinning swords she jumped from the roof and knocked away the Fang members that Sanguine was idly toying with. The bullheads started firing their onboard guns at Penny who deflected them with her blades before firing two blades behind her and reeling herself back. Her blades folded and circled around a glowing green orb of aura before it fired slicing the bullheads into pieces. A bullhead was attempting to get away before Penny pulled it down with her blades. Roman retreated complaining that kid keep getting weirder.

As the police came, Penny disappeared. Ruby questioned where she had gone. Sanguine who had seen her get into a car put his hand on Ruby's shoulder and shook his head when she suggested that they look for her. Sanguine smiled in his own way, the team, nay his apprentices would soon face troubles and they would be ready. The Dream was only the first step after all.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Interlude

Author's Note: Thanks to Neema Amiry for being literally 3 out of my 4 reviews

Dust Till Dawn

Day 1

Ruby Rose stood inside a Dust shop reading a magazine. She would have left a while ago since she finished the magazine fifteen minutes before but something told her to stay for a while longer. The door jingled as several men walked in the shop.

"Alright kid put your hands where I can see them. Hey I said hands in the air you got a deathwish or something." A cold steel took over Ruby before not knowing what she was saying said "No. but you do." She then unfolded Crescent Rose into gun form and put a round into his stomach point blank, it didn't kill the man due to aura, but he'd still need medical attention after he regained consciousness.

Another uniformed robber came at the gunshot and took aim at Ruby seeing her and the downed man. The unfortunate robber had only just aimed when a bullet caught him in the chest sending him out the window. "What the? Get her!" the orange haired ringleader of the robbers said.

The three robbers remaining rushed Ruby. The first was taken out in short range melee combat Ruby wielding the rifle form of Crescent Rose in what can only be called Gun Kata deflecting his blade and battering him with her rifle before she ended the fight with the machete wielding goon with a strike to the back of the neck with her weapon's rifle form. The second goon was taken out with all the speed of the first with Ruby batting away his drawn machete with her rifle before twirling around him and firing a round point blank into his back. The third was perhaps the luckiest catching a slash to the chest from an unfolded Crescent Rose that only left a small but debilitating cut across his torso. Ruby then proceeded to leave the shop via window to chase the ringleader of the crooks.

The orange haired man, Roman Torchwick, took no chances with witty dialogue and fired a shot from his cane at Ruby to at the very least delay her before running off up a ladder to his robbery's emergency extraction point. He just had to get there and there would be a bullhead there for emergency extraction. Some scary kid isn't exactly the police but one look at that girl's eyes had him running. She had murder in those eyes, they were silver but they looked more like cold unyielding steel. He heard footsteps behind him, he glanced back shit it was her. Engines roared behind him, thank god the bullhead. He took out a burn crystal and threw it at the Red and black garbed monster of a girl. He took aim at the girl only to see her doing the same. Their eyes met. Roman hesitated how could he not he saw bloody death reflected in those silver orbs.

The memories of the one who summoned the blood god of the hunt reigned supreme in Ruby's body. It was only the fact that Ruby's body and weapon were not as strong as the memories remembered that kept her from killing the goons. It wasn't due to malice that she tried to kill them she just needed blood spilt to attract the god of the hunt. That god was the only chance she had at ending the hunt stopping the menace and the god only listened when blood was involved. She slid her hand along her scythe blade before whispering a small prayer as she ran her bloodied hand over the chamber of her sniper scythe. The blood glowed before disappearing as it infused the round in the chamber. A twirl with the sniper scythe aimed it at her oddly familiar foe before a telekinetic push shoved her out of position. The blood infused round went wide as it fired taking a chunk out of the bullhead.

The memories faded and Ruby regained herself as the huntress started to fight the criminals in the bullhead. The fight went on for a minute before Ruby asked the huntress for her autograph. Two buildings away on the roof Sanguine sat with a vicious grin while drinking heavily from a Pungent Blood Cocktail.

Beacon

First Day of Classes - Nighttime

On one of the many rooftops of Beacon Sanguine sat drinking from a Pungent Blood Cocktail. He shivered lightly in delight, the pungent fermented blood in the bottle was a calming influence especially after having to deal with humans all day. Oh the urge to rip and tear to feast on blood galore but he had to restrain himself to appear human in the eyes of his class and team.

"Hey… Uh Sanguine. You mind if I join you up here?" His contractor had come to him, he wondered why even as he said "Sure." His contractor the little girl who could grow up into a hunter capable of spilling enough blood that he would take notice even while asleep. She wasn't the first worshipper he had ever had but she was the only one to ever truly gain his attention. "Hey uh what are you drinking? Is it good?" Sanguine smiled a kind smile, well it would be kind if he didn't have horrifying teeth and a face that refused to emote humanly. Ruby seemed to get the message anyways as he offered "You want some? It's sweet"

"Sure" Ruby said as she accepted the offered bottle and took a swig. "You're right it is sweet, metallic but sweet." The two sat for some time into the night drinking down the bottle of blood. "Ya know thanks for what you said earlier today. It made me feel better and Weiss even came and apologised for being mean earlier." "I spoke nothing but the truth and if it helped all the better"

Training Hall, Beacon

After the realisation of The Dream

"You said that you'd show us future Ruby's memories, so why are we in the training hall?" Yang asked Sanguine as team RWBYS walked into the training hall in their combat outfits with weapons at the ready. "I said I'd show you the effect of Ruby's future memories not the memories themselves" Sanguine clarified. "Blake go over to the simulator start, Yang and Weiss stand back, Ruby front and center" Sanguine said taking control of the situation.

Sanguine walked up to Ruby and pulled out the Rakuyo and cut a slit on his finger. A deft movement wiped some blood underneath Ruby's nose and slipped some in her mouth. Ruby's eyes dilated. "Start the training sim" Sanguine told Blake who immediately pushed the start simulation button on the training room control panel. Hardlight grimm imitations appeared and began advancing on Ruby. The dilated silver eyes went cold and hard seeing the grimm.

A beowolf was the first hardlight grimm formed and the first grimm to Ruby. A slash across the chest left it dissipating, it was just deep enough to disembowel the grimm and disrupt the hardlight. Three more beowolves approached only to be delimbed then beheaded by the scythe blade. Seven more beowolves approached only for Ruby to flicker in place before her body seemingly erupted with rose petals, the beowolves were rent apart. From then they barely saw Ruby as she was flickering from place to place and beowolves just died where they stood.

The session ended and Ruby collapsed into a deep sleep. "Wow Ruby gets all sort of badass when she has her future memories" Yang commented "There is a reason why she is one of the few to ever gain the attention of the god of the hunt." Sanguine replied

Author's Note: short chapter because I took a couple days off. Be back with the main story next chapter be back with longer chapters next chapter too.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey I'm back and I'm rewriting The blood calls In a new story titled The Call of the Blood. itll be up tomorrow or the day after if my muse cooperates. sorry for the long wait but my computer broke and it took me two month and the wonder of tax returns to rebuild it.


	5. Chapter 5

The Call of the Blood is Up.


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